Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

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ghsmith76
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Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

Post by ghsmith76 » August 19th, 2017, 11:07 am

Everything came together for the perfect backpacking trip around Mt. Hood. The previous week was about heat and smoke from various forest fires burning in the state, but then the winds shifted to blow the smoke to the east, temperatures dropped and the stage was set for backpacking the Timberline Trail in perfect weather. Starting out from Timberline Lodge I didn’t give much thought to the track the Trail would lead me on, but what did catch me off guard was that are you basically hiking downhill for the first day as you head to Ramona Falls. This downhill did test my knees a bit which I never had to worry about before. Image
Hiking below Paradise Park we had to navigate a number of fallen trees, but nothing too difficult. We ended up camping at the clear stream just before the Sandy River crossing. The Sandy turned out to be the most challenging of the many water crossings. I wasn’t sure how Brook would navigate it so I went ahead and waded so not to influence her into walking the narrow tree bridge. Brook now makes her own decisions on how to cross streams and she decided to wade the first part of the Sandy. I was fairly impressed with her since the current was trying to sweep her under the tree and she really doesn’t like to get wet.
At the Ramona Falls trail decision point I opted for the longer Timberline Trail since I have done the Muddy Fork route on the PCT. The second day is all about climbing but it felt good on my knees.
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The forest was lush and the views of Hood are great. I opted for a secluded campsite with views of the mountains to the north which offered an excellent sunset and sunrise. The hike through the Dollar Lake fire area was just as good observing the recovery process.
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I was dragging a bit today enjoying many breaks which would be needed to get me to High Point. Image
Brook was always ready for a rest. My goal was to camp just past High Point where there are some hardy trees that offer protection from the winds. This turned out to be important.
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The views of Mt Jefferson to the south offered a unique observation of cloud formations fed by the various forest fires. Luckily I woke up for the sunrise. I was ready for the last 10 miles which started out by dropping from the sky to Gnarl Ridge through Mt Hood Meadows and on to the White River Canyon.
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Plenty of water and flowers for the level stretch before the final ascent back to Timberline Lodge. Climbing 1100 ft to Timberline Lodge from the White River crossing was going to be tough since my body was telling me that it was spent. This is when I pulled out my earbuds and let my music playlist get me to the end.
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A beer and burger at Charlie’s in Government Camp was such a great reward. Overall, I highly recommend the Timberline Trail.

Full Trip Report Blog Post https://adventurecontinues.org/2017/08/ ... ine-trail/
GHSMITH76
Blog:AdventureContinues.org

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Peder
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Location: Lake Oswego

Re: Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

Post by Peder » August 20th, 2017, 8:04 am

Congratulations to Brook on crossing the Sandy and the other streams. Judging by the pictures and the text you had some wonderful days together!
Some people are really fit at eighty; thankfully I still have many years to get into shape…

Word Nerd
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Joined: July 9th, 2017, 12:18 pm

Re: Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

Post by Word Nerd » August 22nd, 2017, 3:10 pm

Sounds like you had a great trip! Having just done it for the first time at the beginning of August, I completely understand how hard the downhill portions are on the knees! Thanks for the pictures!

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markesc
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Re: Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

Post by markesc » August 24th, 2017, 2:09 pm

Congrats! Brings back memories!

That last climb up to timberline felt more difficult than it needed to!

melanieronai
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Joined: August 26th, 2017, 12:56 pm

Re: Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

Post by melanieronai » August 28th, 2017, 9:40 am

any biting flies or mosquitos? we are about to start the trail on saturday and i am hoping to not repeat the fly experience i had on glacier peak last month

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retired jerry
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Re: Timberline Trail was Hard but Worth It

Post by retired jerry » August 28th, 2017, 9:44 am

nice report, thanks, I am now inspired to do this in a few weeks

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